Whether it is to travel within a city, or from one state to another or even across borders, trains are a popular mode of transportation.
Trains can be sorted in several distinct categories, separated by the way their locomotives (the engines) are powered, their use, and by the design of their tracks.
Here’s a look at some of the different types of trains that can be found across the world:
Steam locomotives
As the name suggests, these locomotives produce their pulling power through a steam engine. The steam is produced from water that is heated by burning coal, wood or oil. The steam powers the pistons which causes the wheels to turn. They were the first type of engines to be invented and from the moment they were introduced, the world of trains changed forever. The first locomotive was invented in 1804 but from the early 1900s electric and diesel locomotives were introduced so the use of steam locomotives declined, mainly because they were less costly to maintain and produced much less pollution as compared to a steam locomotive. The majority of steam locomotives were stopped from regular service by the 1980s, though several continue to run on tourist and heritage lines.
Electric locomotives
With advances in electrical grid infrastructure and electric engine manufacture, trains adopted electrical power from overhead lines or batteries as one of the most reliable sources of movement. They also produce lesser pollution than steam and diesel locomotives. Most trains you see today are electric powered trains.
High-speed trains
T hese are trains which can operate at 250 kph or faster, whereas regular trains have an average speed of about 110 kph. High speed trains generally connect large metropolitan cities, with very few stops in between. They use special rail tracks that make it possible for them to travel at such high speeds. High speed trains currently operate in Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, and various countries across Europe. The trains operating here are TGV, the Eurostar and Thalys. One of the most popular high-speed trains is the bullet train in Japan, known locally as the ‘Shinkansen’ which can reach speeds of upto 240-320 kph.
Maglev trains
Maglev combines the words ‘Magnetic-levitation’, this is because these trains use two sets of magnets, one to push the train off the tracks to make it “float” and the other to move the “floating train” ahead at high speed. With Maglev technology, there are no moving parts. So, the train travels along a guideway of magnets which control the train's stability and speed. Therefore, Maglev trains are quieter and smoother than regular trains. However, they are really expensive to construct and run — so far only three countries use them — China, Japan and South Korea. The Shanghai Maglev is the fastest train in the world with a speed of 431 kph!
Monorails
A monorail is a railway in which the track has only a single rail and are most often used in urban environments. They are used for passenger railway transport within a city and are also used in airports for transferring passengers from one side of the airport to another. India has only one monorail system so far ,which is in Mumbai.
Trams
A tram is a rail vehicle which runs on tramway tracks along public streets. They are powered by electricity and are usually lighter and shorter than regular trains. They transport passengers within a city and usually move on ground level alongside regular car tracks, but with clear separation so that regular traffic does not use parts of the road where the tramway is laid (except at crossings). They are popular in cities across the world, such as the U.S., various countries in Europe, India, China and so on. In India, trams were introduced in Calcutta in 1873 and then in different cities such as Madras, Bombay, Nashik and others. However, they were discontinued except in Kolkata where they are still used today.
Freight trains
They are also known as goods trains, meaning they don’t transport passengers. Instead, they carry goods and cargo in bulk such as iron, steel, coal, food products, gases, vehicles and so on. These trains can travel within a country or also cross borders.
